


distracting

by sunset_oasis



Series: Rhythms of Love [15]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Alternate Universe - Tennis, Background Relationships, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-18
Updated: 2017-06-18
Packaged: 2018-11-15 15:23:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11233782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunset_oasis/pseuds/sunset_oasis
Summary: "How did your tennis skills suddenly improve so dramatically while I was burying myself in that disastrous Chemistry project?""Without your obnoxious face around, it's far more easier to improve myself, I guess," she drawled."Oh, I'mdistractingly handsomefor you, am I?" He asked, grinning."You wish," she rolled her eyes, and he laughed. Then her lips twitched a bit as she said, nonchalantly, "Honestly? I guess it's just the post break up syndrome."The bottle of water in Cormac's hand dropped, before he quickly caught it again. "The – what? You and Diggory broke up?"





	distracting

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

 

"Nice swerve you did there, Chang!" Oliver Wood called out as Cho passed by him on her way back to the lockers just after a friendly practice match with Demelza Robins. Cho gave Wood a faint smile and nodded back.

Beside Wood, Flint looked up from his iPhone, the screen still showing the latest stats of the French Open, and asked, "You and Diggory joining us tonight at Malfoy's place?"

Cho stopped, realizing that they probably didn't know about her and Cedric's breakup. Yet. It'd been over for 3 weeks but they'd done it quietly and neither of them had spread the news around. So Cho gave him a non-committal shrug evasively, and Flint went back to his phone again.

She thought about Cedric again while she was in showers. He'd been quite devastated yet still perfectly gentlemanly – ever so Cedric – when she'd cautiously said, "Maybe we're better off as friends." That phrase was probably better to be used when you'd been like, dating for a week or something, not nine months, but whatever.

He'd acted like he'd been fine – sad but reparable – if that was what she wanted, because he  _always_  put her feelings first. Always. And it was really kind of sweet and she appreciated it but –

It was like how he would always make time to practice tennis with her and how he would partner with her in the Mixed Doubles, even though she always thought that he played so much better than she did and maybe he should spend more of his time practicing himself rather than coaching her or something. Her friends all thought that he was super nice and a loving boyfriend, and Cho agreed, but somehow there was just something that didn't make her feel  _right_.

She felt like she was being ungrateful for not feeling the same way, yet she couldn't help it.

And it was worse that Cedric was one of those most multiple-talented students, and he was always involved in so many things – he played both tennis and football and he was also the President of the Student Association and also a straight-A student. He seemed naturally good at everything, and since his range of interests was quite wide it also meant that his whole focus wasn't on tennis. But he still made sure to make time for it because he knew Cho's love for tennis, and this made it even more unbearable.

Like, she knew she should be thankful and maybe it was romantic that he was doing it for her, but somehow it just felt discomforting. She wished he would love tennis more and he would want to spend more time on it, for himself and not for her. She wished he was as passionate about it  _as_  her and not just doing this  _for_  her.

Yeah, perhaps she was being picky and ungrateful but she didn't care. She was tired of pretending that she was fine with it, tired of trying to fall in love when she was fast falling out of it, tired of feeling inadequate tired of not able to return as much as affection and romantic, dedicated gestures –

And maybe  _that_  was it. It wasn't like she didn't like him helping her – she just kind of hoped that he wasn't  _so nice_  to her and doing  _so many things_  for her when her wasn't capable enough of returning them. Like, what the hell could you possibly help someone as perfect as Cedric Diggory with? It made her feel like the relationship was heavily onesided and she owed him something – even though he would deny it, earnestly and genuinely, saying that he wanted to do it for her and she didn't need to feel obligated or whatever.

He was simply too nice. And … that was a good thing, as a person. But maybe, just  _maybe,_  it wasn't always the best thing, for a boyfriend.

 

* * *

 

At the end, Cho still went to the party at Malfoy's place because apparently trying to distract herself with the calculus assignment wasn't working. It was loud and crowded which wasn't her favorite thing but perhaps that was what she needed. She accepted the glass of screwdriver when Malfoy's boyfriend Potter offered it to her and downed it in a large gulp that seemed to surprise Potter.

"Alright there?" Potter asked, unusually insightful.

"Yeah," she replied. Look, it wasn't like she missed Cedric or anything – okay, maybe a  _little_  – since she was the one proposing the breakup after all. It was just – a bit unnerving that she could fall out of love with someone who seemed always so kind and considerate and perfect, maybe. Or maybe it was just the post breakup loneliness that wasn't actually loneliness but more like … unfamiliarity. Well, she'd been dating for nine months so of course it would make sense to be a little unfamiliar and unused to being single, right? But she'd be fine. Really.  _Fine_.

 _Maybe_.

 

* * *

 

"How did your tennis skills suddenly improve so dramatically while I was burying myself in that disastrous Chemistry project?" Cormac McLaggen asked as Cho sat down beside him after practice that day. The two of them had been somewhat friends since high school when they'd both played on the school team, and Cho quite enjoyed his company, even though Cormac's a bit of an asshole sometimes. But there was some familiar comfort in listening to his bragging and exchanging banters, something only friends who'd knew each other for over a few years could understand.

"Without your obnoxious face around, it's far more easier to improve myself, I guess," she drawled.

"Oh, I'm  _distractingly_  handsome for you, am I?" He asked, grinning.

"You wish," she rolled her eyes, and he laughed. Then her lips twitched a bit as she said, nonchalantly, "Honestly? I guess it's just the post break up syndrome."

The bottle of water in Cormac's hand dropped, before he quickly caught it again. "The – what? You and Diggory broke up?"

"Yeah," she shrugged.

Cormac stared at her, then slowly smirked, "Ohhhh, so you're practicing more because you want to beat him as a revenge for dumping you, huh?"

She sniffed indignantly, "He did not dump me – if anything, it's the other way around."

Cormac raised an eyebrow, impressed, "Woah. So in addition to dumping him, you're also aiming to beating him someday on the field too. So cold-hearted. What's he done? "

She grimaced. "Nothing. I just – feel like we weren't working out, that's all."

"Hmm, cold-hearted, as I said," Cormac smirked. She shrugged, and he just laughed again. His laughter made her smile a little too, in a way that Marietta or Padma probably would never understand. Cormac wasn't nice or  _polite_  or  _considerate_  like Cedric, no, but there was something  _familiar_  and  _compatible_  and a kind of understanding between them that made everything feel easy and relaxed.

"Here's to beating Diggory at tennis, then," he raised his bottle of water in salutation, giving her a wink.

She rolled her eyes at his dramatics, but playfully clinked her own bottle with his.

His grin widened.

 

* * *

 

Cormac was passionate about tennis. Obsessed, even. Like, Marcus Flint or Oliver Wood level obsessed. His overenthusiasm would sometimes scared people who weren't that interested tennis, and even fellow tennis players sometimes found him a bit too self-centered and obnoxious and bragging to be tolerable.

Not Cho though.

She liked his passion. She liked how he try to make as much time for tennis as possible. She liked practicing with him because it was nice to have someone practicing with her because they were passionate about the sport, and not just because they were  _nice_  to her.

She also secretly quite enjoyed sitting in the stands with him and criticizing the movements of the players on the field when they were watching. His comments were scathing but on point. She'd never really done this much with Cedric because for one, Cedric had always been a bit too busy and didn't always come to the games, and for another, Cedric just wasn't the type to make honest-but-sometimes-scathing comments about other players, being fundamentally gentle and polite and all that.

They'd been friends for quite a long time, but it was the first time she was realizing that she liked so many things about Cormac.

And she found that she didn't mind.

 

* * *

 

The five of them were out at a bar during one of their girls-night – Cho, Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Demelza. Cho was only half-listening to Angelina giving some advice to Demelza as she ordered another beer but then one sentence suddenly caught her attention –

" … Trish from  _This Means War_  said 'Don't choose the better guy, choose the guy that makes you the better girl'," Angelina was saying.

"Sounds  _oddly heteronormative_  but  _okayyyyy_ ," Katie piped up, drawing the word 'okay' out long.

Alicia also seemed to say something but Cho wasn't listening and all she could think of was – ' _choose who makes you the better girl_ ' –

 

* * *

 

They sat on the couch in Cormac's apartment, eating chips and watching Andy Murray and Kei Nishikori on TV. By the time the last set ended, Cho was somehow already leaning close against Cormac. He glanced at her, offering her his usual obnoxious smirk, and bizarrely, it looked handsome in this light, she thought.

Or maybe he'd always looked this handsome, she wasn't sure.

"Let's go out and drink to Murray's win," he suggested.

"Sure," she said before she could stop herself, then added, "only if you're buying."

He rolled his eyes long-sufferingly, "Fine, but only because you agreed that I'm distractingly handsome."

"When did I agree to such an obvious lie?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Obvious lie? I'll prove to you it's the truth," he drawled, leaning closer to her, his features suddenly zooming in like she was watching a movie, and the clarity multiplied tenfold, and she stared into his green eyes that suddenly seemed to have drowning depths and Cho wasn't sure what possessed her to do it but –

She kissed him.

(After two seconds of shocked and frozen in move, he kissed back.)

 

* * *

 

"Wow," Cormac said, breathily, sounding both teasing and in awe at the same time, "I concede. You're even better at this distracting thing than I am."

 

**Author's Note:**

> find me on [tumblr](https://ff-sunset-oasis.tumblr.com)


End file.
